Thursday, November 17, 2016

Rocks, Rocks and More Rocks

One of the best parts about having my parents come to visit is seeing my world through their eyes. Things that have become "normal" suddenly take on a new and fresh look as I experience it with them for the first time.

We started out today at Camp Lili, the campground we stayed in when we first vacationed on Hvar in 2008. Things that stood out to them were the turquoise of the water, the peacefulness of the sea, the quiet, and the never-ending supply of rocks!

Even after being here so many times, I still marvel at the color of the water and the serene surroundings.

But all the rock on this island had gone into the background until I saw it afresh through their eyes. It's everywhere!

Literally, everywhere you turn there is a bountiful supply of rocks, in all shapes, colors, sizes and textures. Not to mention the terracing that is done with rocks everywhere from vineyards and olive groves, to right there in the campground!

You walk, stand and climb on it, and see some form of it in nearly every direction. It really is a unique and bountiful part of this island.

I'd already planned on taking them to the village of Humac today. But it was especially fitting since the theme of the day turned out to be .... yes, you guessed it: ROCKS!

This is a whole village built with rocks! Walls, roofs and fences galore, made with a whole variety of rocks pulled from the ground.

Founded in the 17th century, Humac is a beautifully preserved village that captures the essence of Dalmatian lifestyle hundreds of years ago.

Dozens of buildings still exist, in some shape or form, showing the use of rock long ago. Can you imagine what it would have been like to live here?

Down this path lies a church built in the 19th century - just a "youngin'"in these parts!

Time and again we remarked on how long it must have taken people to gather these rocks and build all sorts of different structures out of them.

We are deeply appreciative of their work, and the beauty it created for us to enjoy today!

We headed back down the road to visit the town of Jelsa, where my dad noticed something else that has become normal to me, but is a bit strange now that I think about it.

Almost nothing is open!

While Jelsa is lively and delightful in the summer, you can hardly find a place to get coffee, let alone a meal. In fact, I don't know of any restaurants that are open year round. None of the shops are open during off season (which is roughly 8 months of the year), and 98% (my estimation!) of cafes and restaurants are closed too.

There aren't many people out either. Only one lonely donkey to have a chat with! 😉

There ARE about 1800 people living here. There just weren't many out today!

But we happily wandered around enjoying the beauty of their town!

I do want to mention that grocery stores, the pharmacy, post office, hardware store and gas station ARE open year round! We're just not used to all the "extras" like restaurants and shops being closed in the off season.

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I write Living By Lysa to capture our life and ministry in the Czech Republic as we serve with Josiah Venture, an organization passionate about sharing Jesus with the next generation in Central and Eastern Europe.

Life is made up of small details each day and those are the pieces that make our lives rich, beautiful and meaningful. I enjoy noticing and writing about those details.

I usually have various pages that tell more about our ministry, history and life but because of a problem with Photobucket, I'm not able to include those on my blog right now. Working on a solution and hope to have a redesign soon!